A New Era
by ScottyG
Summary: After a slipspace drive malfunctions and sends a fleet of human and alien warships into an unkown system, they must rebuild and deal with the ever looming threat of the Cylons and the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. M for safty
1. Chapter 1

**Just want to say, that this is my first attempt at fanfiction. Keep that in mind while reading. And maybe give me some pointers in the review section if you can.**

**i dont own halo or any other franchise that I will use in this story.**

**Now on with the Show!**

**J****oint Human – Separatist Outpost 327-B5**

The sirens wailed as thousands of civilians, human and alien, ran to the safety of the city center. The attack was sudden and decisive. The Brute fleet managed to exit slipspace in the outer atmosphere, completely bypassing the defense fleet and Orbital Defense Platforms (ODP) in orbit entirely. And now with their ships positioned over the main city defense fleet and ODP's couldn't attack from orbit or risk collateral damage and high amounts of civilian deaths.

Marine Corporal Alex Nash could only watch in horror as wave after wave of refuges poured past the checkpoint into the city center. From her sniper nest in a decrepit old book store she simply watched. They had lost their homes, friends, and loved ones. Human colonists who had tried to make a fresh start at the edge of UNSC space, and Separatist colonists who simply wanted to atone for the sins of their fathers and work hand in hand with humans.

She griped her sniper rifle and zoomed into the horizon past the buildings. Brute ships had begun to glass the outer city. There ships shooting death and destruction to any and all who were caught in the brilliant beams of death.

"Hay!" a high squeaky voice called out from behind her. She lowered her rifle and turned her head to see her Unggoy spotter Yipa. Yipa wasn't part of the UNSC or Separatist armed forces. But he was a Corporal in the planetary militia. And when the attack began, they were somehow paired together.

"Please don't sneak up on me like that", she walked over to him, "even if most of your people are on our side, there are quite a few still with the bad guys."

He walked past her to the windowsill and took out a binocular, "that's your problem, not mine", he said calmly in his high squeaky voice. Unlike most Unggoy, who tended to be submissive and recessive, he was a 'tomboy', so to speak, of his kind.

A pelican roared overhead in the direction of the outer parts of the city, most likely to save as many civilians as they can from being butchered in the streets. She saw Yipa take interest in a particular group of refuges passing through the checkpoint. It was an Unggoy family, five of them, holding hands so they don't get separated in the crowd. One looked to be carrying a suitcase. Probably was packed with everything that had left.

"Is your family?" she began.

"Dead", he said calmly. The roar of plasma fire echoed in the distance, "I think something bad is about to happen. Take aim down the center of the street", he ordered.

**City Outskirts**

"Keep firing, Keep firing!" Sargent Kevin Striker of the 3rd Advance Recon Battalion yelled to his troops as more and more Brutes inched closer and closer to the barricade. Out of the original 42 defenders, only 12 remained.

Surviving marines, along with axillaries from the planetary militia, ducked behind the sandbag barricade to escape Brute fire. Plasma and bullets filled the air. Death was a constant occurrence on both sides. But it seemed that as one Brute fell, two more took its place. Sargent Striker watched a plasma round slammed into the face of one of the marines and took his head clean off.

"Dam it!" he cursed as he reached for his radio, "this is Echo 17, to base", he yelled into it so his voice was heard over the sounds of battle, "we have protected and evacuated all civilians in the area, requesting immediate evac."

A plasma grenade exploded behind him as the radio came to life, "_Echo 17, we are currently stretched to the breaking point, as soon as something's cleared up-"._

"Your fucking kidding me!" he yelled as a trio of marines sent lead from there assault rifles into a charging Brute, who dropped dead before reaching the barricade.

_"Sorry Echo 17, but there's nothing-",_ the voice stopped for a moment, "_Echo 17, pelican inbound. ETA 2 minutes_."

"Roger, Echo 17 out!" he cut the connection. He turned to his remaining bloodied and tired men, "pelican inbound, ETA 2 minutes!"

**Orbit**

UNSC battle group 34, stationed in orbit, sent out a distress call that was answered by the 63rd Scout Detachment of the Separatist Fleet of Unyielding Retribution. The detachment arrived 3 hours after the initial attack.

Shipmaster Saa'l Zark, on his command ship Convergence, looked at the planet on the monitor though the cool shades of blue that filled the CIC. He remembered when the colony had started the planet was lush and full of life, but now it was turning into a cinder.

"Vile creatures", he muttered as he walked closer to the screen. "only those without honor attack those who cannot fight back", he growled and clenched his mandibles.

"Shipmaster!" one major domo called out, " Human shipmaster White is requesting video audience with you."

Sa'al took a seat in his command chair, "patch it though", he commanded. The major nodded and a elderly looking human with white hair and a wrinkled face appeared on screen. His uniform was covered in a rainbow of medals from previous conflicts.

The human on screen looked at him with respect and relief, "_shipmaster, thank you for arriving so quickly_."

"No thanks are necessary Shipmaster White. I have currently twelve corvettes, three frigates, and one destroyer prepared to offer assistance", Sa'al replied.

"_Very well_," the human shipmaster's image faded and was replaced by a tactical grid of the planet, " _I want your ships to support sector E-5. A colony ship will be living through this rout_", an arrow was shown leaving the planet from the surface on the grid, "_in half an hour. This rout must be cleared before it launches_."

Sa'al nodded, "it will be done shipmaster", and he turned to the major, "order all ships to assist the human evacuation plan."

As he commanded, his small fleet of ships made best speed to the planet.

**City Outskirts**

The two minutes felt like an eternity to Sargent Striker and his troops now down to 8 survivors. But as the old saying goes 'a man with his back to the wall will fight more ferociously with no hope of survival'. The amount of dead Brutes created a second barricade of bodies.

He heard the vicious roar of a Brute Chieftain rally the remaining Brutes in the area for one final charge. With the remaining Brutes now in an animalistic charge led by a hammer wielding Chieftain, the Sargent and his men readied themselves for one final last stand.

As Striker was just about to use the last of his shotgun ammo to stop the oncoming brutes, the roar of a pelican engine filled the battlefield. He turned to see missiles fired from the pelican hit the oncoming brutes, completely destroying them in the process sending their remains in all directions.

The dropship slowed until it came to a stop and hovered just above the blood drenched street. The doors opened and an armored figure stepped out. Standing eight feet tall and adorning blue armor with a golden faceplate on the helmet. On its shoulder were the insignia of a Lieutenant and the eagle insignia of the SPARTAN's.

Striker saluted, "Lieutenant, thank you for your assistance. If not for your timely arrival me and my me-", he paused.

The Lieutenant nodded, "you did your best, but now I need you and your men on this bird."

"Yes sir", Striker looked at his men, "you heard the Lt.!"

One by one, the remaining troops boarded the dropship. Striker boarded last, and took a seat across from the Lieutenant. The door closed, and the pelican's engines flared to life. As the ship increased elevation the sergeant looked at the Lieutenant.

SPARTAN IV's were, like there predecessors, super soldiers and a living legend in the UNSC armed forces. But unlike the previous versions, the SPARTAN IV augmentation process had a 100% success rate and only people 18 and older could sign up for the ten year training regimen to be a SPARTAN. Their armor, like the II's, is only possible to wear after their augmentation. But unlike the II's, had energy shielding similar but stronger to the covenant shielding technology.

After 20 minutes of silence Striker decided to start up a conversation, "um sir?"

"Yes".

"What is the progress of the evacuation", he asked.

"The civilians are being loaded on a colony ship. In about ten minutes the ship will leave the planet and jump to the nearest UNSC controlled system", he answered coolly.

"Oh", Striker said, "where's the rest of your team?"

"The rest of my company is at the base to better protect the civilians", he ansawred calmly.

The rest of the ride to the base was very uneventful and quiet.

**Orbit**

"Seraph squadron destroyed", one of the pilots said over the com, "move in and destroy that banshee wing."

Shipmaster Sa'al scratched his neck and looked at the countdown timer. It read 3:32. He growled, 'not enough time', he then looked to a major to his right, "prepare to fire energy projector target the largest wing of enemy fighters."

The major looked at him, "by your command, shipmaster." The major then displayed the power output in the energy projector on the main screen. The ship shook.

"Shields 32%", a minor domo called out.

When the energy projector reach 87% the Shipmaster said, "Fire!" There was a subtle hum the filled the CIC. The shipmaster looked back at the countdown timer 0:21.

**Orbit**

Captain Vincent White looked in awe out the window of the bridge. The Separatist flagship fired a brilliant beam of energy that, in more than one case during the Great War, meant death to all caught in it. after half a minute it died down he looked at the radar. No hostile contacts.

The Captain, sitting in his chair, looked to is coms officer, "tell the ship it's now or never."

The Coms officer nodded, "aye sir."

The captain sighed, "Leo", he said.

"yes captain", a holographic image of a lion appeared on a pedestal in the bridge.

"What's the status of the ship", White asked.

The lion smiled, "their increasing altitude and collecting stragglers."

"Good. Coms signal the fleet to form up around the ship. Signal our allies as well."

"Aye sir!"

Within minutes, the combined UNSC and Separatist Fleet were in a defensive position around the colony ship. It was one of the old Phoenix class ships. With a length of 2.5 Km, 52 point defense guns, oversized Archer missile pods, 22 heavy deck guns, and two MAC guns it was capable of defending itself, but not against large amount of Brute ships.

The captain looked to his navigation officer, "tell the fleet to their positions with the ship until they ju-".

"Sir! Energy buildup from the colony ship!", every monitor on the bridge flashed red and the alarms echoed throughout the entire ship. The captain looked out of the window to the colony ship be engulfed by a bright light. He paled as he saw the ship sink into the light.

Slowly the ship was gone, but the light continued to expand and engulfed the ships around it until the captain was blinded by the light.

Soon, the whole fleet and two ODP's were engulfed in the light. But when the light vanished, they were gone.

**Unknown system**

The blinding flash began to subside in Captain White's eyes. The monitors showed the ship was still in working order. The crew was still dazed by the display. Slowly getting a bearing of their surroundings.

"What the hell just happened?" he yelled as he walked back to his chair.

"Captain, before that….event my systems detected a massive slipspace rupture by the coordinates of the Guardian. It seems that we, all of us, went into slipspace", Leo answered.

The Captain grunted as he hit the intercom, "all decks report in", he looked to his officers, "I want a SITREP. What did we lose? Where are we? And how the hell are we alive?"

The AI looked at White, "well we didn't lose a thing, same goes for the separatist fleet. In fact, the Orbital Platforms Oracle and Kraken are currently five miles from our position in geosynchronous orbit above a planetary body."

"Show me", White commanded. A holographic representation of the solar system they were in came to life. The system had ten planets, one of which they were currently orbiting. "What system are we in?"

The AI look troubled, "I don't know."

White paled, "what do you mean you 'don't know'."

"Just that. The astronomical charts are all wrong. There systems were there shouldn't be. Nothing were there's supposed to be a solar system. And", Leo paused, then shuttered, "and the slipspace drive…is gone."

The bridge went quiet.

"Gone? You mean…" White said getting paler by the moment.

"Gone, gone. As in its not there anymore gone."

"Sir!", the communications officer called out, "I have reports flooding in about missing drives from both human and separatist ships."

Silence filled the bridge. Only the hum of the CO2 scrubbers was heard. No one, not a single person, wanted to believe what they were hearing.

It was Leo broke the eerie silence, "on a side note. The planet that we are currently orbiting has an oxygen-nitrogen based atmosphere."

White took a breath, "send a message to the flagship of the separatist fleet."

"sir?" the com's officer asked.

"tell them we may be here awhile", he looked at the holographic display, "a long while."

**So!**

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	2. Timeline

**Greetings loyal minio- fans!**

**This isnt realy a chapter, but rather a timeline that will detail how our new inhabitants in the Battlestar Galactica universe react over hundrds of years.**

**Don't hate me because im to lazy to write a proper chapeter!**

**Now on with the Show!**

* * *

><p>Year 0 – the UNSC and Separatist fleets are both stranded in an uncharted system, and without splipspace drives or navigational references they cannot leave the system. They are in orbit around a planet that can support life. A search party is sent down to the planet.<p>

Year 0.5 – a primitive preemptive settlement is setup on the planet for the civilian refuges of the Guardian. They set down on the planet in valley that would yield large harvests of crops. The orbiting ODP's are scraped to help the initial settlement build. The number of refuges is approximately 14,000. 6,000 Human. 5,000 Unggoy. And 3,000 Sangheili. There was a fear that the Unggoy, who breathe methane and not oxygen, would suffocate when the supply of methane on the ships ran out. Fortunately, a native plant on the planet produces methane and is found in large quantities. The remaining ships use telescopes to find any reference point to their star charts.

Year 1 – it has been one year since the "disaster" as it is called. Currently more and more personnel from the warships in orbit are going down to the planet's settlement which is being called Guardian City. The planet also has been named Oasis, for being the only habitable planet that can be found by the fleet's telescopes.

Year 5 – Guardian City has become the man trade hub on the planet with smaller settlements forming all around the planet. The first generation of children being native to Oasis is being born. The leaders of the fleet have given up on finding a way home and are attempting to make the best of the situation.

Year 20 – Most ships have been striped for parts to help the expand cities and settlements grow.

Year 50 – All warships have been striped for parts. The population has reached 200,000. Many cities, such as Guardian City, have joined together to form a new unified government called The Commonwealth of Mutual Survival, or simply The Commonwealth.

Year 100 – The Commonwealth exercises full control over the planet. The Commonwealth science department begin designs of shipyards that will allow them to build ships as magnificent and as mighty as the ones there grandparents arrived on. The Commonwealth has formed the Commonwealth armed forces to act as a standing military. The government secretly begins a new SPARTAN program using the firsthand accounts of the SPARTAN IV's training regimen as a reference point. Population at 600,000.

Year 200 – the commonwealth have created ships that travel to the nearest planet in under two weeks. They have setup mining operations on the planet called Hades, which is known for its extremely active volcanic activity. The SPARTAN's, who form 1/10th of the armed forces, are slowly being seen as faceless drones that just fight and not the human beings they are. The SPARTAN's, though loyal vigilent protectors of the Commonwealth, begin to ask themselves if the people they are protecting see them as faceless equipment rather then living creatures.

Year 378 – the rediscovery of the slipspace technology is achieved. Soon, all ships in the newly formed Commonwealth Navy will be equipped with one. The population is 4 million. The augmentation that SPARTAN's recive during the final part of their training is begining to manifest itself in the children of SPARTAN's who have parents that were also SPARTAN's. A law is passed that forces any child of a SPARTAN parent to be drafted into the program as soo as they are six years old.

Year 500 – out of the 100 systems currently under the Commonwealth banner, only three systems have habitable worlds. Population at 80 million. Tensions rise between the SPARTAN's and the rest of the Commonwealth, as a SPARTAN was killed in cold blood by a suprior officer for being hesitant in following orders. The officer is let off the hook due to a techicality because in the Articles of Mutual Survival, SPARTAN's are not regionized as people.

Year 550 – the SPARTAN revolt begins. The SPARTANS now numbering in the millions demand the proper rights that others have but they don't simply because of the parents and life they live. After 6 months of riots and several skirmishes, they are granted their rights. They will continue to serve in the millitary, but they will have basic civil rights as stated in the Articles. The SPARTAN's go to deep space to find a world to call their own. Fifteen light-years from Oasis they found the colony of Sparta.

Year 700 – an exploration team makes the greatest discovery in the Commonwealth's history forty light-years from Oasis. On this planet, they find a Forerunner Dreadnought hidden beneath the jungles of the western hemisphere. Population is 1 billion.

Year 1000 – story continues!

**And now, for thouse of you still reading. I put a little extra bit of info on the newly formed Commonwealth. and for the record, Unggoy or grunts, breed like rabbits. look it up.**

Governments

The Commonwealth of Mutual Survival

Founding: Year 50 A.D. (after disaster)

Constitution: Articles of Mutual Survival

Government type: Parliament

Head of State Title: Chancellor

Currency: Commonwealth Credit (cr.)

Motto: "_Order, Stability, and Unity_"

Population (overall): 7 Billion

Breakdown:

2 Billion Humans

1 Billion Sangheili

4 Billion Unggoy

Military Branches

Commonwealth Enforcer Corps (marines)

Commonwealth Navy

Commonwealth Army

Commonwealth Special Operations

Intelligence agency: Commonwealth Office of Intelligence (COI)

Major Starsystems/ Planets/ Territory's and importance:

**Novus**

_Oasis: Capitol, Cultural Center, Political center, Military Shipyards, Scientific Center, Population Center, Military HQ_

_Astroid belt: Minning center_

_Gas Giant Avolon: observation post_

_Hades: Industrial center, Military Shipyards, Mining center, small population center_

**Python**

_Eden: Industrial Center, Military Shipyards, Population center_

_Monolith: super-earth planet, no atmosphere, exstensive strip-minning operation_

**Leo**

_Aqua: Population center, cultural center_

_Gas Giant Nether: methane collected in the "safe zone" of the the atmosphere_

_Anvil: moon of Gas Giant Nether, base of methan collection porcess_

**Sparta**

_Sparta: Industrial center, Industrial center, military shipyards, Population Center_

**Celestial Body 224**

_Planetary Body 443-B: Archeological Center, Scientific Center, small population center_

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	3. Chapter 3

Logging on…

CNT-932-J887-DX SIGNED IN

CNT- 854-K439-DXSIGNED IN

[Setting up point to point relay]

CNT-932-J887-DX: how's it going?

CNT- 854-K439-DX: fine, just fine.

CNT-932-J887-DX: you see the news?

CNT-854-K439-DX: which one?

CNT-932-J887-DX: you know which one I mean.

CNT-854-K439-DX: no I don't. which?

CNT-932-J887-DX: this one.

CNT-932-J887-DX SENT [CIVILIAN NEWS ARTICALE 0290-3.09.04] TO CNT-854-K439-DX

CNT-854-K439-DX: damn. But what does that mean for us?

CNT-932-J887-DX: what do mean?

CNT-854-K439-DX: do they know about our mission?

CNT-932-J887-DX: all they know is that there are radio waves coming from an unexplored area of space.

CNT-854-K439-DX: I wonder out this will play out?

CNT-932-J887-DX: let's face it, this will end in one of three ways. One, they accept us with open arms. Two, they mistrust us but never do a thing about it. And three, they believe we are going to wipe them out so they attack us.

CNT-854-K439-DX: but why would they attack us? That's just stupid.

CNT-932-J887-DX: their zealots. Zealots are paranoid and will try to convert or destroy anyone, or thing, that goes against their beliefs.

CNT-854-K439-DX: that's a bit cold.

CNT-932-J887-DX: but it's true. Religion is a double edged sword. It makes communities come together. But it will cause those same communities to fight one another because they don't believe the same thing.

CNT-854-K439-DX: I still think you're over simplifying things. We have religion and we don't kill each other.

CNT-932-J887-DX: we don't have over five hundred channels dedicated to it.

CNT-932-J887-DX: can't we just drop it.

CNT-854-K439-DX: Okay.

CNT-854-K439-DX: where do you think the others are?

CNT-932-J887-DX: held up?

CNT-K092-L976-DX SIGNED IN

[Joining point to point relay]

CNT-K092-L976-DX: we're accelerating to Phase 4

CNT-932-J887-DX: Why? What happened?

CNT-854-K439-DX: did something happen?

CNT-K092-L976-DX: some of the radio signals from the planets reached a privately owned deep space exploration ship. They went public with their findings.

CNT-854-K439-DX: what does that mean for us?

CNT-K092-L976-DX: since only the higher ups at CONI are informed about this project, the public and most of the military believes that this is a first contact scenario.

CNT-932-J887-DX: how long?

CNT-K092-L976-DX: ships have already been dispatched .Seven corvettes, two frigates, and one cruiser. They will arrive in one standard week

CNT-854-K439-DX: why send battlegroup strength?

CNT-K092-L976-DX: incase its hard contact.

CNT-854-K439-DX: a force that size might scare them into firing first.

CNT-K092-L976-DX: that doesn't concern you. Just be ready for phase 4

CNT- 854-K439-DX: it's too soon.

CNT-K092-L976-DX: how much of the network is bugged?

CNT- 854-K439-DX: over 90% is bugged. But I only have backdoors in 13% of the systems.

CNT-K092-L976-DX: that's good enough. Just be ready to move if needed.

CNT-K092-L976-DXSIGNED OUT

CNT- 854-K439-DX: in a short while we'll are heroes whether we like it or not.

CNT- 854-K439-DX: Why so quiet?

CNT-932-J887-DX: isn't it kind of ironic?

CNT- 854-K439-DX: what is?

CNT-932-J887-DX: their arriving on colonial day.

* * *

><p><em>'Yeah',<em> Kelly thought as she sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, with her laptop resting on her leg, '_I guess it is'_.

"Kelly", someone called out. Then she heard footsteps from upstairs, "where in the gods name are you?"

She looked down to her screen and her fingers danced across the keyboard, 'need to go. Contact you soon', she hit send and closed the program. She then opened a file named [IDEAS]. On the file were a myriad of words and phrases that, to anyone other than herself, seemed to be gibberish.

"Where are you," she turned her head to the left to see her 'boss', "oh there you are."

"Yeah, here I am Gaius," she answered with her eyebrow raised, "where else would I be," she asked sarcastically.

The famed computer programmer, and pro AI research activist, Dr. Gaius Baltar had been her boss for over two years. Before that, they both attended the Caprica City University and took mostly the same classes during their time at the university. After that, they went separate ways, eventually both earning a job at the defense mainframe.

To him, she was a girl from a small town on Picon who came to Caprica after her parents died in a car crash when while she was in high school. She then lived with her grandparents, both of whom died one year after she arrived in a terrorist suicide bombing. After she got her job, she asked to be transferred to his department. Soon enough, she was his personal assistant answering to him only.

But the truth was far more complex and far more intriguing.

"What happened Gaius?" she asked, "another one of your girls that you promised you would call several months ago looking for you?"

He reached the bottom of the stairs, "what…I", he stuttered, "yes…. But more importantly, he did it again."

She sighed, knowing exactly who 'he' was, "you can't keep doing this Gaius," she closed her laptop, "he doesn't want to be babied."

She stood up as he continued, "But he's my father I can't just abandon him to some soulless place," She followed him to the front door, "besides he's just acting childish, he doesn't respect what kind of money I'm spending on him."

She opened the door, a car was already on the driveway, "this is the fourth time he's acted out," he was about to speak again as they walked out, but she cut him off, "with the third nurse."

"I know that Kelly," the driver opened the car door for both of them, "I know."

She took her seat directly across from him in the limo, "then why keeps doing this? Especially if you know how he's going to react."

"He raised me…. He's the only family I have left," he took a bottle of scotch out from the mini fridge, "besides, he just does this cause he doesn't respect what I became." He poured the scotch into a glass; he began to pour another glass.

"No thanks," she said as she put the laptop down on her lap and opened it.

"Hey," he asked changing the subject, "what are you doing?"

She eyes looked up at him, and then back down to the screen, "just some work," she answered as she ran her program. A window opened with thousands upon thousands of lines of code flashed on her screen.

At the top of the window, it showed how much, percent wise, the program had left.

50%

"Is it work, or is it 'work'?" he asked.

She knew what he was implying, "yes, I am working on my book. It takes time to get all the ideas together."

65%

The car began to drive onto the main road. The main road was mostly deserted though, only the rich and famous lived here.

"But you've been working on that book for as long as I can remember. What's taking so long?" he asked as he took another sip.

67%

"I want to make sure I get it right," she answered, "and I want to make it the best book out there."

"I doesn't need to be Caprica Times best-seller. I've read some of it and I think tha-" he was cut off.

"You did what," she asked.

"Well I was checking to see if you were on schedule last month for the demonstration of the new software that the defense ministry wants and I saw the document open," he took another sip.

76%

She sighed, "I don't know what possessed you to read off my personal computer without my consent bu-"

"I liked it," he said cutting her off this time, "It had a good plot, good characters, and a good setting. But I need to ask, why Earth?"

It took her a second to get over the shock of the biggest narcissist in the galaxy complementing her, "no one writes about earth in a fictional sense. Only in a religious one."

"Your right," he paused as the car made a hard right to get onto the highway that led to Caprica City, "but still, some of this is way out there. An alien alliance going to Earth to eradicate all human life. Artificial ring shaped objects in space that will kill all life in the galaxy. And a form of FTL travel that involves punching a hole through space and time to travel from point A to point B."

"So?" she looked up.

"It's a good book, but it's still just science fiction," he said as he put his glass down, "none of that stuff is even remotely possible."

87%

"Well isn't everything science fiction until we can prove otherwise," she said looking out window as the car entered the outskirts of Caprica city, "wasn't space flight and FTL just science fiction before it was proven?"

He leaned back into the seat, "I appear to have been bested," he crossed his legs, "but still, you must admit that some of this is just impossible by the laws of physics."

94%

"No I don't," she answered, "anything can be proven to be true. It just takes time."

"Fine, but still," he began, "there are no such things as aliens."

She looked down to her computer. She unconsciously gave a sad smiled.

100%

[BACKDOOR ESTABLISHED/ 13.3021% OF NETWORK COMPROMISED]

"Maybe your right Gaius," she said as she typed in a new command into her computer.

[ESTABLISHING BACKDOOR IN SYSTEM 0032-44292-42921-92481]

0%

She knew that what she was doing was wrong on a moral level. Establishing backdoors in key military system that would, if she was successful, cripple the colonial fleet network and leave them defenseless. Leavening millions, if not billions, undefended and left to die.

But it was a necessary evil.

She looked out the window of the car to see the tall buildings, the people milling about their day to day lives, and the ships that flew overhead. She let out a sad smile. In a way, she pitied them. They thought that there was nothing out in space. That they only had the Cylons to worry about.

"Doesn't make it any easier," she whispered to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>Helios Alpha,<strong>

**Mercury-class Battlestar **_**Neptune**_**,**

**Enroot to Battlestar Galactica**

Deep in the depths of the Mercury-class battlestar, newly promoted Vice-Admiral Alex Bell was looking over her crew manifests. She had recently received a new group of pilots to replace the ones that were being rotated to a new ship.

She was a veteran of the Cylon war. Back then, though, she was a just a viper pilot. She fought in over twenty one skirmishes and three major battles. It was in her third major battle that the battlestar she was serving on, Columbia, was struck by several nuclear missiles and was lost with over seven hundred still onboard. Some did get to raptors, but most didn't.

Even while she was one of the few remaining pilots, of the former forty, she was able to rally the other vipers and protect the raptors until they jumped away. After the war,she was given the colonial cross of valor for going above and beyond the call of service. That same medal rested on the wall across from her desk.

During reconstruction, she was promoted from first lieutenant to major and was placed in charge of the entire Caprican CAP while the fleet was busy dealing with the remaining Cylon holdouts. Eventually, she was promoted to colonel, then Commander, then Admiral, and finally vice Admiral.

She was broken from her chain of thought as she heard the phone ring. She groaned and picked it up, "yes?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Admiral," she recognized the voice, 2nd Lt. Mark Troy. He was one of the new transfers.

She used her free hand to fiddle with her pen, "don't worry about it. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to let you know, sir, that were about to jump to Galactica's position."

Bell looked at the framed picture on her desk. In the picture was herself and her two oldest friends, "thank you lieutenant," he paused, "I need you to alert Galactica that I will be coming aboard when we arrive."

"Yes sir," The line went silent. Most likely, the lieutenant was right now contacting the hanger to get a raptor ready for her.

She looked to the picture frames on her desk, and smiled. There were three in all, one showed her receiving the colonial cross of valor after saving her comrades, the next was the image of her and her two closet friends, and the last was actually a newspaper clipping of the headline when she was given command of the Caprica CAP with an image of her next to her viper.

It read:

**WAR HERO TAKES COMMAND!**

She gave a sad smile. She looked away from the frames and began to place the files back into their respective folders. She couldn't let her fake life that she built up get in the way of her job. Her real job.

But after half a century, how could anyone not make a connection to someone or something. She knew that she would be at a crossroad, and she would be forced to choose.

The Colonies.

Or the Commonwealth.

She only prayed to god that the crossroads came later then sooner.

"This is the XO, all personnel, prepare for FTL jump" the intercom bellowed.

She looked at her wristwatch and took a deep breath. Picking up her suitcase, she made her way out of her quarters and traveled down the corridor to the hanger. She watched as people were bracing themselves for the disorientation of FTL travel.

"Jumping in, 3, 2, 1, mark."

The whole ship seemed to get smaller and more crammed. In the blink of an eye, the ship vanished into FTL.

* * *

><p><strong>Helios Beta<strong>

**Battlestar Galactica **

"Sir," Lt. Gaeta began, "the Neptune has just jumped in."

Adama gazed at the DRADIS monitor and watched the ship, "thank you lieutenant, anything else?"

Gaeta looked through several papers he was carrying, "ah….yes sir," finding the paper, "the Admiral just departed on a raptor, ETA three minutes."

"Thank you lieutenant," Adama went back to reading the reports, but noticed that Gaeta had not went back to his station, "is there something else lieutenant?"

Gaeta cleared his throat, unsure what to say, "I was- …it's just…that why is someone as important as the Vice-Admiral coming here in person."

"A fan of hers lieutenant," Adama asked. As he walked around with the reports, Gaeta followed.

"Sort of sir. It just that…" he paused. Maybe scared of being reprimanded for saying something wrong.

Adama put the papers down on the situation table in front of him, "it's just what lieutenant," he turned to face Gaeta, "just spit it out."

"Yes sir," he began, "it's just when I was in the academy, almost every modern day strategy, or tactic, or even ship designs were either directly or indirectly mentions her."

"And?"

"And I was wondering, and I don't want to insult the admiral, if her role was a bit," he paused searching for the right word, "overstated."

Adama paused, "well then," he began. He looked at Gaeta seriously, "I think that you what happens now. Don't you?"

"Sir," Gaeta asked thinking that he had said something wrong, "I'm sorry if-"

"You're going to have to ask her yourself," Adama said cutting him off. He gave Gaeta a small smile.

"sir?"

Adama turned his head to gaze at the DRADIS monitor, "she's a very social and talkative person." He then looked back a Gaeta, "she won't take offense, if that's what you're worrying about. I've seen her take way more criticism then someone asking her if her own actions and contributions have been overstated."

Gaeta looked pleasantly surprised, "you knew her sir?"

"We met each other a little after the war ended," he began, "we became very fast friends."

Gaeta was about to press onwards, but Lieutenant Duala interrupted him, "Commander," she paused as he turned to face her, "the Admiral's raptor has just landed."

"Thank you Dee," Adama then looked to Gaeta, "Lieutenant you have the floor,"

Gaeta nodded and went about his new duties as Adama walk out of the CIC.

* * *

><p>The admiral sat, cross-legged, in the rear compartment of the raptor. Bell was patiently waiting for the mechanical lift to bring her ship into the hanger. She looked at her watch. Five minutes since they landed and they were still descending agonizingly slow from the flight pod to the hanger.<p>

She leaned forward, "is this slow or am I just losing my grasp on reality," she asked her pilots.

The copilot, Burnout, responded, "This boat's old sir."

"Old", the pilot, Slasher, exclaimed, "this things god's damn ancient!"

"Not all ships are as advanced as the _Neptune_," Burnout said, "this girl was built during the war."

"I know that, doesn't mean I can't say anything."

"I heard their turning it into a museum," the admiral added.

"Really," Burnout asked, "when?"

"Next year I think."

"So one of the first battlestar's ever built will soon become the first battlestar converted into a museum?"

"Yep," she answered leaning back.

Slasher sighed, "That's not right."

"What do you mean," Burnout asked.

"No warship, especially one as historical as this, should have an end like this," Slasher explained.

"Then it would just end up rusting at some shipyard somewhere," Burnout said.

"Look I don't know maybe-", before Slahser finished the mechanical lift stopped.

The admiral leaned forward again and looked out the cockpit. She watched as the mechanical door in front of them slowly open. She could make out several figures in dress uniform. She took a quick look at her watch. 'And it only took six minutes.'

When the doors opened, the raptor shook slightly as it was towed into the hanger. Looking out the small windows next to her, she saw dozens, if not hundreds, of crew men lined up waiting for her arrival.

The raptor came to a stop. Alex took a deep breath as she stood up. Looked over to her pilots and smiled, "well, let's not keep the crowd waiting,"

* * *

><p>sorry for the HUGE wait! I'll try and update more frequently.<p> 


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